Wat Sri Suphan is an amazing, unique and intrinsic work of architectural marvel built entirely by the skilled traditional workers from the local community. Even if you’re not a temple fan, or you think that you’ve seen enough temple in Chiang Mai already, this temple’s unique nature and being the only one of its kind in Thailand still make it worth the visit.

While most of the sights of the silver village are the shops along Wualai Road, there is one attraction that’s more spiritual than material. Wat Srisuphan was built in 1502, although little remains of the original temple except the boundary markers (sema stones) around the ordination hall (ubosot). In fact, the chapel is now the focus of renovations that are designed to make it a fitting centerpiece for the silver village it serves. The entire surface of the hall, inside and out, is being covered in silver. The roof is already covered in silver-plated tiles, and on my last visit, they were preparing to cover the exterior walls with beaten silver panels.

The work began about four years ago (2008), and will probably take another two years to complete. There’s already a fair amount of silver on display at the temple. In the much larger prayer hall (wiharn), the walls are lined with silver panels, mostly depicting scenes from the Buddha’s live(s). The wiharn also houses a large and rather elegant Buddha image on its altar. Next to the altar is an old large ornate sort of pulpit, called a busabok.

The temple also hosts a silver-working school, to help ensure that the tradition of the village is passed on. In addition, Wat Srisuphan is one of many temples around Chiang Mai that offers a “monk chat” program, where lay people can come to talk with a monk, whether it’s about Buddhism or life as a monk. Monk chat is offered every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. You can also get an introduction to meditation on those same days, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

It is one of the tallest buildings in the old city and famous for its Lanna styled Chedi which lends an interesting feature to the architecture of this renowned temple in Chiang Mai.

In its day, Wat Chedi Luang must have been the most impressive temple in Chiang Mai. Built about 600 years ago, the huge chedi which gave the temple its name (the name of the temple translates to “royal pagoda”) must have soared high above the surrounding city.

Chedi was mostly destroyed within a few hundred years of its construction. Some say it was an earthquake in the seventeenth century that did the deed; others say it was King Taksin’s cannons firing on the city to chase out the Burmese in the eighteenth century.

The pagoda has been partially reconstructed, but the spire has not been recreated since nobody can be sure what it looked like.

Wat Chedi Luang was also important because for a short time it housed the most important object in Thailand, the Emerald Buddha. The Emerald Buddha is now in its own temple in Bangkok, but a few years ago the king donated a replica to be placed in the eastern niche of the chedi.

The other niches are occupied by stone Buddha images. On the southern side, the base is decorated with elephant statues. To the west of the pagoda is a small open shed housing a reclining Buddha image. There are often artists offering their wares in stalls on the large plaza of the chedi.

Inside the main prayer hall, the altar is backed by a magnificent standing Buddha. Round whitewashed columns support an unfinished wood roof. However, the hall was in the middle of a “radical makeover” in August 2007, so the view may change soon.

Credit: Wikipedia

The altar inside the large chapel is beautiful, though rather standard for Thai temples these days. We were somewhat amused by the plethora of “account books” strewn about on the right side of the altar (behind the columns in the picture we’re afraid). In any temple that gets visitors, there is almost always a donation box with a guest book for you to write your name and amount donated in. Well, in this temple there were at least half a dozen boxes, each with a different purpose – maintenance of the temple building, electricity, taxes, etc. – and so each with its own account book. Upon making a donation to one or more purpose, you then have to scrabble around for the proper book to write it down in.

As you face the big wiharn, to your right is a small elaborate ho trai (library) built on a high stone base. The base has many beautiful carvings which have recently been renovated, as have the gilded carvings on the gable ends. Continuing on around the complex in a counter-clockwise direction, you’ll find a drum tower set in a yard shaded by many old trees. Sometimes there’s an artist or two at work here, and selling their work of course.

Directly behind the large prayer hall is a smaller building that serves as the temple’s ordination hall (ubosot). This is where young monks are ordained and some other important religious events are held. The wooden building shelters a large brick and plaster altar, that I suspect pre-dates the outer building and was originally out in the open. The clues to this are the altar’s shape and the fact that it sits in the middle of the building rather than at one end. The orientation of the entrances on a north – south axis rather than east – west is another clue. Like the library, the ubosot has recently been restored.

Credit: wikipedia

There are several unique features to this temple that you won’t see in just about any other wat around Chiang Mai, or even elsewhere in Thailand. One of the first is the temple’s large wiharn, or prayer hall. The chapel is unusual not only for its size, but also the fact that it is open on the sides rather than being totally enclosed.

Directly west of the wiharn are several large pagodas, called chedi in Thai. The largest of these is the center of another unusual story. Pagodas will almost always contain Buddhist relics. The biggest and most important chedis will contain a relic of the Buddha himself. In the case of Suan Dok, the largest pagoda contained a relic that reputedly self-replicated. One of the relics was placed on the back of a royal white elephant, which was then allowed to wander where-ever it wanted to go.

The elephant eventually came to a stop, and actually died, on Suthep mountain. Chiang Mai’s most revered temple, Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, was built on the exact spot where the elephant came to rest.

Next to the pagoda is a veritable forest of ornate white-washed reliquaries. This “city of the dead” houses the cremated remains of the rulers of Chiang Mai. Walking among these elaborate monuments, you could easily be reminded of the famous above-ground cemeteries of New Orleans.

Wat Suan Dok is also a temple where you can try to learn more about Buddhism, through their “monk chat” program. At certain times, and on certain days of the week, you can talk with a Buddhist monk. This program is in part a chance for monks to practice their English skills, so don’t expect fluent conversation.

Credit: rodeochiangmai/flickr.com, Lucie Brodecká/flickr.com

Phrathat Doi Kham Temple was built in the period of Queen Jamdevi of Lamphum by both of her twins sons in B.E. 1230 ( 687 A.D.). The pagoda contained with the Lord Buddha’s relics. In the old days, the temple was called ” Suwannabanpot Temple however the villagers like to call it ” Doi Kham”. According to the the temple history, it was the deserted temple with its broken treasure house such as Phra Rod Luang, the big ancient sandstone Buddha image covered with gold and Phra Sam Hom which made from clay.

All around the temple, you can see various images and shrines dedicated to Queen Chamadevi and other important figures in her life story, such as her two sons and the Ruesi, or ascetic hermit, who is said to have adopted the queen as a child. According to legend, the hermit found the young princess sitting on a giant lotus flower. He raised her, and she married one of the princes of the Mon capital city Lopburi in Central Thailand. The king then sent her up north on a mission to establish a new city and sister kingdom for the Mon people.

When you get up to the temple parking area, the first thing you’ll notice is the gigantic seated Buddha statue. At 17 meters tall, it’s the largest seated Buddha in Chiang Mai. It’s also larger than a number of other famous giant Buddha images, such as those at Kamakura and Nara in Japan. The Buddha has characteristic Lanna features typical of Buddha images from Northern Thailand, such as a round face and lotus bud shaped crown protrusion.